Just ONE player outside Man City and Liverpool makes in into the analysts' Premier League best XI…

The balance of power in English football is reflected in a new Premier League Best XI, with all of the players coming from Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

But the ranking also demonstrates the current advantage the two northern clubs have over their southern rival in the title race at almost the halfway point of the season.

Ten players in the all-star team come from Anfield and the Etihad.

The analysts at CIES, the football observatory based in Switzerland, have compiled the best XIs in each of the major European Leagues, based on a performance index they compile using match stats from Opta.

CIES Premier League Best XI 

In the Premier League, only Chelsea’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy makes the Best XI so far this season from outside of Man City and Liverpool.

There is a back four of Joao Cancelo (City), Aymeric Laporte (City), Ruben Dias (City) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) with Rodri (City) and Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) anchoring the midfield.

The Premier League’s Best XI packs a punch up top with City’s Bernardo Silva pulling the strings behind Liverpool’s front three of Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.

The balance of the side mirrors the race for the Premier League title. City and Liverpool have been almost unstoppable and dominate the team, while Chelsea have faltered as injuries and Covid have taken their toll.

With 18 games gone, the Londoners have slipped off the pace after two draws and a defeat in their last five matches, which leaves them six points adrift of City in top spot and three short of Liverpool in second.

Meanwhile, Manchester United and Tottenham’s misfiring stars have provided only lukewarm competition this term, but Arsenal and West Ham fans would be justified if they thought their players would have made more impact on the select side this  Christmas.

So, there are some selections in the CIES analysis that may raise an eyebrow among supporters. Sportsmail considers the number crunchers’ choices.

Attack

It is hard to argue with Liverpool’s dominance in attack, or the inclusion of Silva in an advanced midfield role, since he has lit up the league this season.

The Reds have rattled in 50 goals so far, reaching that landmark faster than in any other top-flight campaign.

Salah leads the way with 15 goals and nine assists this term, but Jota is ranked second, with 10 goals of his own.

The Portuguese has seized his opportunity and hijacked the Reds front three leaving Roberto Firmino struggling for game time after his recent return from injury.

Jota’s powerful header to equalise at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was an imperious finish, which typified a man in form. Taken together, Liverpool’s front line is irresistible.

But Silva also appears in the Premier League’s list of top 10 scorers this season and the effervescent City player has netted seven from midfield.

Silva has been an immovable object at the top of Sportsmail’s power rankings for three weeks too, underlining his peerless performances, and few would dispute his place in the Premier League’s finest XI.

There will be more debate, however, about some of the six outfield players, who line up behind them.

Defence

That said, Ruben Dias will come as no surprise at centre back. The £60m man is the rock on which Manchester City anchored their title win last year and he has set himself up for a similar role this time around.

Dias has played 17 out of 18 top flight matches for City and helped to achieve 10 clean sheets. It is not only his personal performances that impress, but his ability to raise the game of his central defensive partner, whether that be John Stones of Aymeric Laporte.

City have only conceded nine goals this season, the least of any top tier side. And they have allowed fewer goals than any other team in Europe’s big five leagues – only Sevilla, who sit second in LaLiga, have come close having let in 12.

But while the CIES modellers are on solid ground with Dias, what about Laporte?

Laporte has forced his way back into the reckoning at City and partnered Dias on 13 occasions in the Premier League this season, contributing to eight clean sheets, himself.

Even so, the Spaniard’s inclusion in the Best XI must have been a close call. If Chelsea fans have an argument for more of their players to be included, Thiago Silva, 37, maybe it.

The Brazilian veteran has won rave reviews for his defending and his quality on the ball. After another accomplished display in the 0-0 draw with Wolves this weekend, former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and BBC pundit, Jermain Jenas, picked Silva as the stand out player.

‘This guy was so classy throughout, everything he did,’ said Jenas. ‘He looked like he was playing in third or fourth gear at times.

‘He’s never rushed and has quality on the ball with those forward passes. He did really well, it was a top performance from a top player.’

Statistical comparisons of defenders are always tricky because their involvement in the game depends on what is going on in front of them. And often, at the highest level, not having to make a tackle indicates a job well done, which of course, is hard to measure.

The legendary Italian defender, Paolo Maldini, famously observed: ‘If I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake.’

Even so, a comparison of Laporte and Silva using Premier League data is an interesting read. Of eleven individual defensive stats, Silva comes out on top in eight, (including aerial duels won, interceptions, blocks and tackles) and level in three.

In terms of possession and attacking, statistical honours are divided, with Laporte making more passes and having a slightly higher pass completion rate (94 compared to 91 per cent), but Silva is more likely to play forwards, which has been one of the joys of his game this term.

At full back, Chelsea’s Reece James may still have the edge in England manager Gareth Southgate’s mind, but the statistics favour Alexander-Arnold in the CIES analysis.

While mutterings over the Liverpool man’s defensive frailties will probably never fade, the right back is crucial to Liverpool’s success and has put in match-winning performances this season, notably against Arsenal and Newcastle.

Premier League statistics score Alexander-Arnold ahead of James for interceptions, blocks, tackles, clearances and aerial duels won, as well as passes, chances created, crosses and through balls. Alexander-Arnold deserves his place.

At left back, Manchester City’s Cancelo has been busy redefining the role itself. He has been in brilliant form and is fast becoming the ultimate all-round player in his position – as effective pushing forward to support the attack as he is at tracking back to perform defensive duties.

The most obvious challenger to Cancelo is Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, but the Scotsman, while himself enjoying a fine season, is trailing in the Portuguese’s wake at this stage.

Cancelo has made more interceptions and tackles and played a role in more clean sheets, 10 compared to Robertson’s six. While City have conceded just nine goals with Cancelo in the team, Liverpool have shipped 16 with the Scotsman on board.

Both players are effective in the attacking third, too. 

Robertson is well ahead in terms of crossing, (delivering 90 compared to Cancelo’s 58), but the City man is the dominant passer and has amassed 39 shots to five.

Midfield

Who would turn their nose up at a midfield pair of Rodri and Henderson? But perhaps the most surprising omission in the CIES team is West Ham’s Declan Rice.

The Englishman has been a powerhouse in the Hammers’ team this season, doing his defensive work and driving the side forwards from his holding role.

However, the Premier League is at its strongest for years and this is not an easy team to break into.

City fans now rate Rodri as one of the best holding midfielders in the world after a difficult start to life at the Etihad as understudy to Fernandinho, who previously laid claim to that title.

Rodri has been a key cog in the smooth-running City wheel this season, which boss Pep Guardiola explained recently.

‘We’ve tried to help him to understand the game, especially what the holding midfielder has to do. Last season he moved too much,’ he said. ‘The holding midfielder has to be there, don’t move.’

In a head-to-head with Rice, Rodri is engaged in less defensive actions, perhaps reflecting his improved positional play, but his passing is superior and there is a sense at the Etihad he has come of age.

There is less to choose between Rice and Henderson, however.

In a pick between the pair, Southgate will choose the energetic Rice, keeping the more experienced Henderson in reserve when situations need managing or forcing.

In a nutshell, Rice offers more defensively than Henderson, which appeals to Southgate, who is happy to let his forwards do the damage.

Top-flight stats reveal Rice has made 10 blocks this season, while Henderson is yet to record one.

Rice has put in 40 tackles (to 16), 22 clearances (to eight) and won 23 aerial duels (to six). 

Given Liverpool’s domination of matches it is not surprising Henderson does less dirty work, but in addition, his positioning is impeccable as he covers for the Reds rampaging full backs so maybe he doesn’t have to.

Liverpool’s data scientists have developed new ‘off ball’ metrics in recent years, to assess a player’s impact when he isn’t directly involved in the play. One suspects Henderson scores highly.

Furthermore, the Liverpool player controls the play more effectively.

And his numbers light up in possession, making more passes, more forward passes, more through balls and attempting more crosses than his rival.

Goalkeeper

The only representative in the Premier League Best XI outside of Man City and Liverpool is Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The ex-Rennes stopper has been in fantastic form and thrilling to watch on occasions.

In the Blues 1-0 win away to Brentford earlier this year he was nothing short of heroic, stopping one certain goal with his face.

‘Face saves’ is probably a stat, and if it isn’t, it should be, but the Senegalese is outperforming rivals in plenty of more recognised categories.

He makes 2.47 saves per game, stopping 84 per cent of shots and has kept eight clean sheets, according to FBREF.

Mendy’s numbers are well ahead of Ederson at Manchester City and Alisson at Liverpool. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale pushes the Chelsea keeper hard, and is unlucky not to force his way in to the top team at this stage.

But the surprise package is Jose Sa of Wolves, who is operating under the radar even among his own fans.

‘Realistically, who has been better than Jose Sa this season in the PL?’ asked one Wolves fan on Twitter after an excellent performance in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.

The answer is almost no one in the goalkeeping department. Sa makes more than three saves a game, stops 85 per cent of shots faced and in one of those obscure keeping stats, he stops more than his fair share of the shots that are expected to be goals.

It turns out that Sa’s ‘post shot expected goals (minus goals allowed)’ rating beats Ramsdale, Alisson, Ederson and Mendy, which means he is either playing out of his skin, or the luckiest man in England between the sticks. Eighteen games in, it is safe to conclude he is at the top of his game.